Detailed Schedule -- Modeling the Environment

Detailed Schedule -- MONT 104N, Modeling the Environment

Fall 2012, Prof. Little

The following day-by-day listing shows the planned topic for each day's class and the due dates of the larger individual assignments. There will also be several smaller writing assignments (as described in the course syllabus) and group writeups from the group project days. The due dates for those will be announced when the assignments are made.

This is a tentative, evolving schedule. Topics may be added, deleted, or rearranged during the course of the semester. Any changes will be announced in class and here.

Note: Reading assignments labeled

LH -- refer to G. Langkamp and J. Hull, Quantitative Reasoning and the Environment
GB -- refer to G. Graff and C. Birkenstein, They Say/I Say
M -- refers to M. Montaigne "Of Cannibals" (link on course homepage)

Date	Class Topic	Reading

8/29	Course Introduction	M
8/31	Begin discussion on ''Of Cannibals"	M
9/3	Conclude discussion on ''Of Cannibals"	M
9/5	Focus on writing 1 -- ``They Say''	GB, Introduction and part I (pages 1 - 51)
9/7	Focus on writing 1 -- (first short writing assignment due)	GB, Introduction and part I (pages 1 - 51)
9/10	Measurement and units	LH, Chapter 1
9/12	Group project 1 -- the Greenland ice sheet	LH, Chapter 1
9/14	Finish group project 1 -- Paper 1 due	LH, Chapter 1
9/17	Ratios and percentages	LH, Chapter 2
9/19	Probabilities and recurrence intervals	LH, Chapter 2
9/21	Group project 2 -- Florida lake conservation -- Problem Set 1 due	LH, Chapter 2
9/24	Graphical displays of data -- pie charts, histograms and scatter plots	LH, Chapter 3
9/26	Group project 3 -- the US energy economy	LH, Chapter 3
9/28	Group project 3, continued -- Problem Set 2 due	LH, Chapter 3
10/1	First ''debates''	see course homepage
10/3	Follow-up discussion on "Sun Come Up," modeling with linear functions	LH, Chapter 4
10/5	Regression and least squares -- Problem Set 3 due	LH, Chapter 4
10/8,10,12	Fall Break -- no class
10/15	Exponential models	LH, Chapter 5
10/17	Exponential regression	LH, Chapter 5
10/19	*Midterm Exam*	*covers*: M, LH Chapters 1 - 4
10/22	Group project 4 -- Broiler chicken production (computer day)	LH, Chapter 5
10/24	Alexis Rockman presentation, follow-up discussion
10/26	Focus on writing 2 -- ``I Say'' -- Problem set 4 due	GB, Part 2 (pages 53 - 102)
10/29	Power functions and modeling	LH, Chapter 6
10/31	More on power functions and modeling	LH, Chapter 6
11/2	Focus on writing 3 -- ``Tying it all together''	GB, Part 3 (pages 103 - 138)
11/5	Group project 5 -- Analyzing the Mauna Loa atmospheric CO₂ data set (computer day)	LH, Chapters 4,5,6
11/7	Second "debates"	to be assigned
11/9	Difference equations -- Paper 2 due	LH, Chapter 7
11/12	Exponential growth and decay via difference equations	LH, Chapter 7
11/14	Affine difference equations	LH, Chaper 8
11/16	More on affine difference equations -- Problem Set 5 due	LH, Chapter 8
11/19	Logistic growth models	LH, Chapter 9
11/21,23	Thanksgiving Break -- no class
11/26	More on logistic models, harvesting	LH, Chapter 9
11/28	Group project 6 -- modeling tropical hardwood production (computer day)	LH, Chapter 9
11/30	Group project 6, continuted (computer day) -- Problem Set 6 due	LH, Chapter 9
12/3	Third ''debates"	to be assigned
12/5	Spare day	LH, Chapter 9
12/7	Course wrap-up

The Final Exam for this course will be given at 8:00am on December 13.

Last modified: September 20, 2012